I'm finding that my classes are intersecting today. I just finished reading an article for my Black Drama course on tourism in Ghana, and now I'm writing a response about the legacy of colonialism! Anyway, I thought that I'd address a few of the issues that Dr. Williamson brought up in his email as part of my response. First up:
How does one form a literature without marble (books, a literary tradition) bequeathed by a colonizer?
Again, I'm feeling some connections between my two classes. I'm currently working on a paper that focuses on, among other things, orality in black drama. Obviously, "literacy" has a distinct impact on what we consider literature. However, I think that many of the qualities that define what we consider literature can be captured in ways that are not dependent upon knowing how to read and write. For example, is a story preserved by oral tradition and recounted from memory less of a story than one written down on a piece of paper and read by decoding? Would we count Corinne's improvisations as literature? While it's true that Corinne is not part of a primary oral culture, it still must be considered that her art is not rooted in reading or writing, but in orating.I understand that there are complications with suggesting that illiteracy can produce literature, but I think that there are some connections between the cultural productions in both literate and illiterate societies that are really relevant to the way we define literature.
To shift gears completely, I also want to discuss the legacy of colonialism and how it relates to the authors we've been reading. I know we've been mostly focused on Browning,but I feel like Hemans' "The Suliote Mother" also ties in really nicely. In terms of addressing legacy, one of the first things I noticed was a sense of ferocity in the opening lines:
She stood upon the loftiest peak,
Amidst the clear blue sky,
A bitter smile was on her cheek,
And a dark flash in her eye.
To me, the reference to "a bitter smile" and "a dark flash" suggest a sense of rage. This initial impression is reinforced by the intensity of the language Hemans uses to develop the rest of the poem. I wonder, in light of this, if a contained rage could be proposed as a potential inheritance of colonialism?
Looking forward to chewing on all these poems further tomorrow!
How does one form a literature without marble (books, a literary tradition) bequeathed by a colonizer?
Again, I'm feeling some connections between my two classes. I'm currently working on a paper that focuses on, among other things, orality in black drama. Obviously, "literacy" has a distinct impact on what we consider literature. However, I think that many of the qualities that define what we consider literature can be captured in ways that are not dependent upon knowing how to read and write. For example, is a story preserved by oral tradition and recounted from memory less of a story than one written down on a piece of paper and read by decoding? Would we count Corinne's improvisations as literature? While it's true that Corinne is not part of a primary oral culture, it still must be considered that her art is not rooted in reading or writing, but in orating.I understand that there are complications with suggesting that illiteracy can produce literature, but I think that there are some connections between the cultural productions in both literate and illiterate societies that are really relevant to the way we define literature.
To shift gears completely, I also want to discuss the legacy of colonialism and how it relates to the authors we've been reading. I know we've been mostly focused on Browning,but I feel like Hemans' "The Suliote Mother" also ties in really nicely. In terms of addressing legacy, one of the first things I noticed was a sense of ferocity in the opening lines:
She stood upon the loftiest peak,
Amidst the clear blue sky,
A bitter smile was on her cheek,
And a dark flash in her eye.
To me, the reference to "a bitter smile" and "a dark flash" suggest a sense of rage. This initial impression is reinforced by the intensity of the language Hemans uses to develop the rest of the poem. I wonder, in light of this, if a contained rage could be proposed as a potential inheritance of colonialism?
Looking forward to chewing on all these poems further tomorrow!